The present invention relates to a process for alkylating hindered sulfonamides by Michael addition to propiolates and to novel intermediates prepared in said process. The products of the aforesaid reaction can be converted into matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.
Inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) are known to be useful for the treatment of a condition selected from the group consisting of arthritis (including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, emphysema, acute respiratory distress syndrome, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer's disease, organ transplant toxicity, cachexia, allergic reactions, allergic contact hypersensitivity, cancer, tissue ulceration, restenosis, periodontal disease, epidermolysis bullosa, osteoporosis, loosening of artificial joint implants, atherosclerosis (including atherosclerotic plaque rupture), aortic aneurysm (including abdominal aortic aneurysm and brain aortic aneurysm), congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, cerebral ischemia, head trauma, spinal cord injury, neuro-degenerative disorders (acute and chronic), autoimmune disorders, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, migraine, depression, peripheral neuropathy, pain, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, nootropic or cognition enhancement, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, ocular angiogenesis, corneal injury, macular degeneration, abnormal wound healing, burns, diabetes, tumor invasion, tumor growth, tumor metastasis, corneal scarring, scleritis, AIDS, sepsis, septic shock and other diseases characterized by inhibition of metalloproteinase or ADAM (including TNF-.alpha.) expression. In addition, the products which can be prepared from the compounds and processes of the present invention may be used in combination therapy with standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (hereinafter NSAID'S), COX-2 inhibitors and analgesics for the treatment of arthritis, and in combination with cytotoxic drugs such as adriamycin, daunomycin, cis-platinum, etoposide, taxol, taxotere and alkaloids, such as vincristine, in the treatment of cancer.
The alkylsulfonamides that can be prepared by the methods of the present invention are described in the literature. PCT Publications WO 96/27583 and WO 98/07697, published Mar. 7, 1996 and Feb. 26, 1998, respectively, refer to arylsulfonyl hydroxamic acids. The above references refer to methods of preparing sulfonamides using methods other than those described in the present invention. Each of the above referenced publications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.